


A Collection of 100 Warrior Themes

by gh0stlie



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: 100 Themes Challenge, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:38:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8184133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gh0stlie/pseuds/gh0stlie
Summary: A whole bunch of Warrior Cats drabbles and one-shots I write in my free time all with its own theme. Also on FanFiction. Individual summaries for the chapter in the notes.





	1. Injured

**Author's Note:**

> Main Character: Petalkit  
> Summary: A kit born without a back leg struggles to find her place in the Clan

Petalkit rested her head on her paws as she scanned the Clan from inside the reluctant comfort of the nursery. Outside, the Clan was busy coming in and out. A pair of elders sat in the shade sharing tongues, apprentices and their mentors were returning from a training session as other warriors can through the dried, bracken entrance with prey in their jaws. Behind her, a tomkit and his brother play fought until one was thrown against her. She winced. Her head turned, “Come on, Brackenkit. Watch where you’re going. Or go play somewhere else.”  
The brown tabby lashed his tail and narrowed his eyes, “Oh yeah? And what if we don’t? You’ll come chase us down until you catch us? Oh wait…” He looked at his brother and laughed, passing her and padding out of the nursery.  
The brown and white she-kit looked up at her mother. The white queen was simply shaking her head, green eyes closed. “Mama,” Petalkit started. “Mama, they’re so mean to me.” She felt her throat tighten.  
“They just… don’t understand.”  
“And they may never understand.” A black she-cat, Ravenfur, suddenly appeared at the entrance. The pretty medicine cat sat in front of the two, bringing the scent of herbs with her. “But when they really need you, then they’ll slowly begin to realize your place in the clan.”  
Her ‘place’ in the Clan was already decided. She was to be a medicine cat as soon as she turned six moons old. Sitting at five and a half, the kit was starting to become pressured by Ravenfur, the leader, and her mother to start spending more time in the medicine cat’s den. But she really had no room to complain, she was born without her back left leg. “But I don’t want to wait that long…” She mewed softly. Her mother flicked her ear with her tail.  
“Don’t be ungrateful, Petalkit. Think about it, some cats with disabilities are automatically considered elders- and they don't have it half as bad as you do.” Her mother’s words were harsh, but by this time Petalkit was used to it. Ravenfur stared at the queen incredulously.  
She cleared her throat. “Anyway… Petalkit, Yellowstar would like to start your training tomorrow.” The other two she-cats exchanged odd looks. The black she-cat continued, “He just thinks that it’s for the best. To get you out of the nursery and into your new role. He’s trying to think of what’s best for you. You seem so… miserable in here.”  
Petalkit opened her mouth to speak, but her mother interjected. “We understand. It would be for the best. She could get out and learn and I could be back to the warriors’ den.”  
Petalkit exhaled sharply. And by get out she means get away from me… She thought, tail tapping impatiently.

 

“With the powers Starclan has bestowed upon me, I give you the name Petalpaw. Your clan and I wish you the best of luck on your way to the Moonpool.”  
Yellowstar’s words echoed through the new apprentice’s mind. She sat under a willow waiting for Ravenfur to gather more daisy leaves for her legs. She had a long time to work on her walking skills and had become quickly accustomed to limping around all the time, but the journey had tired her out to the point of having to stop. So here she sat, thinking about her apprentice’s ceremony for the 80th time that day. The crowd of cats remained quiet until Yellowstar had completely finished talking- and even then there were still hushed whispers of disapproval. She had made the mistake of looking over to the other apprentices, seeing them snicker at her with narrowed eyes. Brackenpaw was the worst of them all. The whole ceremony, he was muttering to his brother and lashing his tail in amusement. It took all of the brown and white she-cat’s power to keep her eyes on the cream tom in front of her.  
After the meeting was called to a close, the cats began to disperse. It hurt Petalpaw- during any other apprentice’s ceremony they would come up to the cat and congratulate them. About one or two cats even nodded to Petalpaw. The she-cat shook her head. The voice of her mother said, “Be grateful. Be grateful.” And she was. She was grateful to be here, she was grateful to have even a sliver of worthiness in her Clan. But every time that she even opened her mouth to say something that was bothering her, there was someone telling her she wasn’t grateful.  
“Well, I finally found it.” Ravenfur said as she emerged from the trees with a mouth full of daisies in her mouth. She dropped them in front of the apprentice and sighed. “We’re almost there. Keep your head up.”  
Petalpaw nodded, feeling slightly better with help from the daisy leaves. She stood, putting her weight on her front paws instead of all three. The rocks and branches on the forest floor occasionally made her stumble, but she never fully tripped forward. It seemed like moons before they reached the cave that held the Moonpool.  
The cave was empty. Ravenfur had warned her about this. Usually, the apprentices had to wait until the next Medicine Cat meeting to get their apprentice name. She was a ‘special case’ Yellowstar had said. He wasn’t even the one supposed to give her her apprentice name. Still, Ravenfur led the younger cat to the shimmering pool. They stood in silence as Petalpaw looked at her reflection in the water. “What… do I do now?” She asked.  
Ravenfur chuckled softly and tapped her nose to the pool. “Now you drink and sleep with Starclan.” Petalpaw closed her eyes and lapped from the pool. She slowly became more and more drowsy and laid down by her mentor who was already fast asleep. She closed her eyes and began to drift into sleep.  
She awoke in a hazy, blue nothingness with small stars sparkling around her. Some of the stars formed in front of her and made the shape of an old, scarred she-cat. “Welcome, Petalpaw.”  
“Who… who are you?”  
“I am Blueleaf, The Medicine Cat before Ravenfur. When I had heard you were becoming an official medicine cat apprentice, I found it necessary that I’d be the one to greet you. However…”  
Petalpaw sighed. “I know. I… I’m too young to become an apprentice, aren’t I?”  
Blueleaf shook her head, “That maybe so, but I know Yellowstar on a very personal level. I understand why he did what he did. I even influenced it, I confess.” The apprentice’s mouth opened slightly. Before she could say anything, Bluefur spoke again. “I came to him in a dream moons ago telling him that a special kit would be born one day with the will to overcome any challenge thrown at her. That kit was you.”  
“Did you make me like this?” Petalpaw glanced behind her to her missing hind leg.  
Blueleaf shook her head again. “No, kit. But I do know the pain of disability. In my lifetime, I was blind. I sat and listened to my kins ceremonies from the medicine cats’ den and felt as if my life was just passing me by. That’s why I come to you now. I know how it feels to watch others surpass you , and I am here to tell you that this merely a minor bump in your path.”  
“You really mean that?” The young cat said softly, her eyes slowly widening. This was the first time that another cat had explicitly told her she was worth something. “Am… I going to be a good Medicine Cat? Do you know?”  
The elder she-cat chuckled, “That I cannot see, kit. But I have faith that you’ll do great things.” Petalpaw began to feel her eyes grow heavy. “I must leave you now, Petalpaw. But I will be watching and guiding you…”  
Before she knew it, she was awake. Ravenfur was sitting beside her, grooming her fur. “Ah, how did it go?” She meowed when she say that her apprentice was awake.  
Petalpaw yawned, stretched and nodded. She was ready to get back to her clan and start her training.

 

“Brackenpaw… This is the third thorn in a row. You’ve been in here every day.” Petalpaw meowed, glancing at the brown tabby from the corner of her eyes. She was busy sorting herbs when the older apprentice had limped his way into the Medicine Cat den.  
The tom huffed. “Well, if you’re not going to help me I guess I could wait for Ravenfur.”  
“Ravenfur will have your tail if she sees you’re in here again this late at night. What were you even doing that got a thorn in your paw?” The brown patched she-cat asked, her tail flicking in annoyance.  
“I-I… uh… I was just… taking a walk.” He stuttered.  
Petalpaw rolled her eyes and told them tom to lay on his back. When he did, she nudged the paw with the thorn inside up so she could grab at it with her teeth. With a swift tug, the thorn was removed. She heard Brackenpaw whince. “Some big, strong warrior you are.” She joked slyly. The brown tabby shot her a narrow-eyed look, but it wasn’t a glare. There was a glint of humor in his eyes. He padded to her side, watching her closely as she returned to sorting the herbs. She felt his warm breath on her neck fur. Creep. She thought to herself. But she could hear something softly. Is he… purring? She turned to look at him, but he was already look in her eyes.  
He coughed awkwardly. “You know… You have really nice eyes…” He laughed off his failed attempt at a sly compliment. Petalpaw was slightly taken aback. Was Brackenpaw- the very tom who used to bully and annoy her from her kithood- taking a liking to her? What was even more confusing was the fact that he was taking a liking to a medicine cat. Especially for a cat who upheld the Warrior Code to his heart. He was still locked on her green eyes. “Pretty.” He choked out.  
“...Thanks?” Petalpaw said, incredulously. They stood in silence, blinking at each other. She felt heat rising under her pelt. She noticed things about him she hadn’t noticed before. The ripple of his muscles under his fur, the scar on his shoulder that gave him an intimidating look, the way his breathing was longer and slower than it usually was. He smelled like catmint and prey. He was much taller than her, a few moons older than her. Considering all these factors, she decided she didn’t have a problem if he had a small crush on her. She had no interest in a mate or kits after she became devoted to medicine.  
He spoke again. “Petalpaw… Can I confess something?”  
Her heart skipped a short beat. “Sure.” She said shortly.  
“I… I think I really, really like you.”  
Petalpaw’s eyes widened. “You… what? Why? How? I thought you hated me. You’ve said yourself. I’m not worthy to be in this Clan.” Her voice was tinged with a hint of resent. She watched as the tabby tom attempted to stutter out his words.  
“W-Well I, uh… That was before I…” He paused and took a short breath to collect his thoughts. “That was before I saw how strong of a cat you are. You have this… this…”  
“Disability.”  
“Yeah… that. But you don’t let it get in the way. I admire that. Then, when I started watching how you managed to work through all that, I started to realize how… how amazing of a cat you are. You’re inspiring.”  
She felt at a loss for words. But she also felt… a warm feeling inside. Petalpaw could feel herself falling for the words he spoke, for the way he spoke them, and for just simply him.

 

Petalfur had just barely reached the entrance to the Clan when she heard a ‘psst.’ from the bushes. She rolled her eyes, purred, and saw Brackenpelt crouched in the brambles. He motioned with his head to follow him. He led her to a small clearing by the river, the place they usually went to to share tongues. But at night, they didn’t just share tongues. He licked the top of her head and purred. “How did it go, beautiful?”  
“It went just fine. The rest of the Medicine Cats were very kind to me. I felt at home.” petalfur chuckled, leaning against his broad, strong shoulder.  
“So what are you now?”  
“Petalfur.”  
“Did she really name you after herself?” Brackenpelt asked.  
Petalfur laughed and shook her head. “No, no. There’s nothing special about it. It’s just a name.”  
“Hmm.” Brackenpelt mewed, stepping back to look at her. She circled her body, examining every slim, lithe inch. “I bet I could come up with a better name.”  
The she-cat laughed, “Oh really? What would you suggest.”  
The tom took a minute to think. “Petalheart, because you’re so loving.”  
“That’s cheesy.”  
“Well then what about… Petal-is-the-most-beautiful-in-the-clan.” He pushed her over and pinned her down, suddenly. She laughed audibly, reaching up to graze his nose with her tongue.  
“That’s a very long name.”  
He sighed with amusement and contentment. “But it’s so fitting. You really are.” The tabby laid next to her and nuzzled her neck. “I love you, Petalfur.”  
“I love you too.”

 

The patched she-cat let out a breathy, chopped groan. Her stomach was full of pain, her vision spotty and black. She felt like the Dark Forest was raging in her belly. But the weight in her heart was even heavier. Petalfur knew what was happening, she just didn’t know how to stop it. There she laid, spread on the grassy floor of her clearing, gasping for air, losing her kits. The medicine cat sobbed to herself, trying to remain as quiet as possible. Nobody knew about her pregnancy, not even Brackenpelt. Nobody could know. The last thing Petalfur wanted to do was lose the reputation she had finally built herself. Starclan, help me! She thought to herself. But she knew they wouldn’t come. She remembered the faith Blueleaf had in her. Petalfur could feel the disappointment in the air, as if the elder she-cat was around her.  
“...Petalfur?” Came a familiar voice. Her throat tightened.  
Brackenpelt… No…  
The brown tom rushed to her side, staring at her in horror. The blood was starting to stick to her fur. “Petalfur, what is this? What happened?”  
“Kits…” She muttered.  
“K-Kits? You’re… pregnant?” He said in shock. Brackenpelt was frozen. She could tell he had no idea what to do in this situation. She closed her eyes and groaned again. All she wanted was to wait for this all to pass.  
That’s when an intense pain set in. She let out and even louder groan. Thankfully, they were far enough from the camp for them to be heard. Petalfur felt her body contracting and tensing. Then, there was a long moment of peace. The pain was still there, but slowly dimming away into nothing. “I… I have a kit,” Brackenpelt muttered, just loud enough for Petalfur to hear. She turned her head to see him lapping at a small bundle.  
“What?” She breathed. He brought to her side a brown kit, very small in size and breathing slowly. It mewled and reached it’s paws out towards her.  
Her mate beamed down at her and their kit. “It’s a tom.” He meowed gently.  
“But… how?” Her green eyes locked onto her son. She felt a rush of cool air pass over her back. That’s when she just felt that Blueleaf had been with her all along. Maybe she had lost another kit, but she was granted this kit.  
“What do we name him?” Brackenpelt said, ignoring her question. “I think Hawkkit sounds fitting for him.”  
She breathed a chuckle, “But he’s so small. He may as well get picked up by a hawk.” Her mate licked her cheek and then their kit- who was now feeding from his mother. “He’s beautiful… a miracle… But you know I can’t claim him as my own.”  
His purring stopped shortly. “...You’re right.” The tom remained quiet for a few heartbeats, but then spoke again. “What if I say I found him? I was out on a late night hunt and I just stumbled upon this kit. Newborn but no queen in sight. There was blood where I found him.” he gestured to the drying pool around her.  
Petalfur looked at her mate, then down at her kit. “I suppose.” She breathed.

 

Hawkpaw looked to his mentor with curiosity in his eyes. “So that’s why we keep the cobwebs from the other herbs? Huh…” He looked down at his clumsily sorted piles of various herbs and sighed. “I guess… I’ll never be as good as you, Petalfur.”  
Petalfur flicked his tail with her’s playfully. “Just keep your head up, kit. You’ll get there someday. Until then, we’ll keep working on your memorizing.”  
“Hey, Hawkpaw.” Brackenpelt meowed, padding into the den. “How’s today’s lessons going?” He nudged his ‘adopted son’ with his shoulder. He looked at the she-cat. “If he’s been doing good I said I’d take him hunting. How was he?”  
The patched cat sighed, “He was perfectly fine. Still working hard, but that’s all I can ask of him. He only started training about a moon ago.” She sat and wrapped her tail around her paws. The apprentice bounced out of the den without even looking at the older tom, mewling about how excited he was to hunt with his father. “If only he knew…” Petalfur sighed, shaking her head.  
“Hey, now. Let’s not get like this again. Deep down I know he thinks of you as his mother. He knows in his heart that you are his mother. He’s your apprentice. You have all the time in the world to spend with him.” Brackenpelt reassured her, nudging her head up with his muzzle. “He loves you, I love you, we’re a family.”  
“Not how I imagined…”  
“But we are. I’ll teach him to be a hunter and you can teach him to heal and encourage and show him how to always have an open mind. You’re the best medicine cat I know.”


	2. Sinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Main Character: Waterfall  
> Summary: A Deputy separated from his clan reflects on the life and family he has lost

Waterfall laid in the sand looking out into the horizon. The waves hit his paws, retracted, then repeated. The water was cold but he didn’t mind. He had more on his mind than the cold. His mind had wandered off over the sea and to a far off place where his love remained. It wasn’t long ago that he was with her in the forest. It also wasn’t long ago until he was brought to this strange, sandy island with water all around.  
He remembers vividly the day it happened. He and his patrol were heading back to camp when a twoleg kit came charging towards them, naked paws stretched wide. The kit had stepped on one of his clanmates’ tails and went to grab at him, but Waterfall pushed him away. The kit had grabbed him instead. As he struggled to get away, he called out to the others to tell his mate he would always love her.  
He was put in a small, portable cave and the next thing he knew he was forced into a twoleg den. Waterfall tried so hard to escape. So hard to try and make it back to his camp, but try as he might nowhere around him looked even remotely familiar. That’s when he found them.

It wasn’t a clan, but a tribe. The ‘Tribe of the Roaring Waves’ they called themselves. He had encountered a Tribe only once in his life and it was nothing like this one. The Healer had introduced herself as The Vast Ocean Dweller, in honour of the wide ocean surrounding their island. Her den was instead a large rock resting a few stones away from the main island. That is where she took him to talk about his previous Clan and how he wound up on the island. After a few days of talking and questioning by the rest of the Tribe, they accepted him as one of their own. He was given the same ‘Waterfall That Sinks Mountains.’ The name was supposed to reflect his journey from the forest to the island, his courage and bravery that kept him going.  
Still, the only thing he felt had sank was his heart. He hadn’t seen his mate in forever. He wondered how Robinfeather had taken the news of his capture. What did she tell their kits? Who did Foxstar pick as a new deputy? The questions would never be answered. Every night he called for Starclan but they never answered. He felt abandoned and alone. The only time he felt solace was with his paws in the water.  
“Waterfall,” Meowed Dweller from behind. “I find you here again.” The silver she-cat padded to his side. She sat beside him and looked at the setting sun, the sky turning from golden to a deep, dark blue. “The Tribe worries about you, you know?”

He nodded.

“...We all understand your inner turmoil. And we hope that one day you will realize how much we are all here for you. The Tribe is a family, just as your Clan once was.”  
Waterfall shot her a glare. “I still belong to Riverclan and I always will. I don’t need a new family.”  
The Tribe cat did not flinch at his sudden change of attitude. All she did was continue to look at the same point Waterfall was. “Try,” She began. The tom’s ears pricked. “Try to accept where you are. There are somethings you cannot change and there are somethings you should not change. All you can do when you find yourself in a new situation is deal with where you are, stop squealing like a kit, and find the positive.” The harshness in Dweller’s voice took Waterfall off guard. He simply opened his mouth to let out silence. Her gaze did not leave the horizon. “We all feel we have somewhere else we belong, but we are all also faced with challenges we are not meant to overcome.” She then rose to her paws, turned, and slowly padded away.  
What the grey she-cat said echoed in his ears. Maybe, He thought, this is what Starclan wanted for me. He rested his head on his paws. But what about my mate? My clan? Was that not my destiny? Before another thought could pass through his mind, a wave crashed and hit him in his face.

As he opened his eyes, he saw he was surrounded in dark, warm water. However, when he inhaled, no liquid entered his nose or lungs. He saw a shimmer of light in the deep blue, his mate and his son coming to view. Robinfeather was grooming the small tom, Littlekit. Waterfall could faintly hear her say, “I am so proud of you— and your father is too.” He felt himself float downwards, another shimmer appearing. His kit— an apprentice now— swiftly hooking a fish out of the river and onto the grass. He beamed up at who Waterfall suspected to be his mentor. The fish was impressive, large for the small tom.  
He sunk deeper down. A ceremony, his kit surrounded by his Clanmates and standing in front of the leader. “I give you the name Littlepool.” The voice echoed. Littlepool’s tail flicked in excitement, as it did when he was a kitten. Waterfall saw Robinfeather gaze with pride and a hint of sadness. I wonder if she’s thinking of me. Does the name remind her? The thought may have sounded selfish, but he knew how the leader worked. Duststar was an empathetic cat, it would be likely for him to give the new warrior some name relating to water. The image suddenly shifted to a different scene. Again; the group of cats, Littlepool, and Duststar. The leader spoke,  
“Mackereltail, you have served the Clan well. However, I respect your decision to step down from the deputy position and retire.” He bowed his head to a cream tabby she-cat. She returned the gesture and joined her fellow elders. Duststar turned his head to look at Waterfall’s son. “Littlepool,” He called. The small tom’s eyes widened, but he slowly padded forward, casting a gaze to his mother. The she-cat nodded to him. She looks old... But still the gorgeous she-cat I fell in love with. The image faded and he sank deeper before he could watch his son take his place as deputy.

A new image. This one was much larger than the rest. A battle was raging. What seemed to be Thunderclan and Riverclan clashed violently, Littlepool standing above the rest. He darted towards a she-cat atop one of his Clanmates. With force, the small and nimble tom shoved the she-cat away, pinning her down and biting at her shoulder. Watching his son fight for his Clan made his heart soar. There was something noble about him. Something that made him shine with the title of ‘Deputy.’  
Now he understood. This is why he was sent to this island. So that his son, his own kin, could take his place, hold his honor, and lead his Clan in the future with pride and a purpose. Littlepool would be driven with determination to finish what his father had begun. His eyes felt heavy with every realization he made. He slowly blinked.  
When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the shoreline.

 

“With this life, I give you the gift of acceptance. Know when to quit, Littlepool. Know when to stop, stand back, and observe. As a wise cat once told me, ‘There are somethings you cannot and should not change. When given a new situation, stop squealing like a kit and find the positive.’” Waterfall meowed. He pressed his forehead against his son’s and said gently, “I’m so proud of you, my kit.” He then stood back and watched as Dustystar hailed his kin by his new name. Littlestar, his pride and joy. Waterfall felt his pelt brush again his mates and called out to the new leader of the Clan he loved.


	3. Father

He was so afraid. He was so, very afraid. But he was also very excited. He was elated, even. Never been happier. Ever since he was an apprentice, he had mooned over the tortoiseshell she-cat laying on her side in front of him. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion. He took a moment to look her over; her green eyes, her dark pelt, the movement of her breathing. Even in her current state, she was amazing. Smokeclaw held the wet moss in her jaws, eyes narrowed and grunting. Beside her crouched the medicine cat apprentice, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright. Hollybark, the medicine cat, was at her tailend. “You’re doing perfectly, Smokeclaw. Just keep breathing.” She meowed.  
Smokeclaw let out another yelp. Her eyes shot to him. “I swear on Starclan, this is the only time I will be going through this.” She hissed. He could only laugh. Her attitude and sharp tongue were just two of the many things he loved about her. Smokeclaw was the fire under his paws. She kept him moving with more and more challenges every day. So, when she found that she was expecting, he considered it his challenge to her. In her most vulnerable moments she admitted to him that she was terrified she would be a horrible mother.  
They had taken a walk one night when they first heard the news. She suddenly stopped. “What is it?” He said to her when he noticed she was sitting. She was staring down at her paws, the words caught in her throat. He always knew when she really wanted to say something but her pride got in the way- her mouth opens slightly. She looked at him, eyes glossy with tears.  
“What if they hate me?”  
He tilted his head slightly. “What do you mean, my love?” He padded to her side and sat next to her, tail gently rubbing her back and his muzzle pressed against her’s.  
“What if our kits don’t think I’m a good mother? I don’t think I’d be a good mother… Maybe I’m not meant for motherhood.” Smokeclaw nuzzled into his chest, ears slightly dropping.  
“Smokeclaw,” He began. His voice was firm, causing her to look at him with confusion. “You are the strongest warrior I know. You’ve been through battle upon battle. When we were apprentices, I admired you. You have the battle scars to prove that you are one of the most valued cats in Riverclan.”  
She narrowed her eyes slightly, still confused. “That’s why I’m worried. I’m a warrior, not a queen. I’m too… too much. All the others in the nursery are motherly and calm.”  
“But like I said, you’ve proven your bravery on the battlefield, so now it’s time to be brave again. If you can find the strength to gain those scars, you can find the bravery to raise our kits. Those other queens can only dream of having the type of kits we’ll have.” He nudged her gently. She purred, got to her paws, and started padding forward, taunting him about being slow and letting his guard down too easily. He flicked his tail in amusement and followed her.  
Now, she lay on the sandy floor, groaning in pain. “I… I think I see one!” Hollybark meowed. Sure enough, a small bundle tumbled into the nest. The medicine cat shot him a look, “Lick them, it’ll start up the breathing.” He did was he was told and began vigorously licking the sac away and finally reaching his kit’s soft, short pelt. He looked at the tiny kit with pride. This was his kit. It wasn’t long after before he was ordered to begin the same action on another sac. There were only two, a she-kit and a tom. The tom was silver, the she-kit a tortoiseshell like her mother. Both were brought to Smokeclaw’s side and began nursing. He noticed how she looked at her kits. This was a look that he had not seen before. She was giving off a warm, glowing aura.  
“What should we name them, my love?” He asked her.  
Smokeclaw looked at them, purring. She gestured to the she-kit. “Flamekit.” Her green eyes looked into his for approval. He nodded. She looked at the silver tom. “Skykit.” He nodded again and purred, laying beside her. The tortoiseshell rested her head on her paws, head turned to look at her kits with that loving gaze. “They’re beautiful.’ She whispered.  
“Just like their mother.” He gave her ear a lick.  
She closed her eyes, “Hmm…” Her fluffy tail wrapped around the kits. “I still hurt like the Dark Forest is inside of me.” She mewed, softly. He chuckled. He heard her slip into sleep, snoring quietly. He took a quick look at the two other queens in the nursery. They both nodded to him and lowered their heads to sleep as well, their kits all nestled beside them. With one more look at his kits, he felt his eyelids grow heavy.  
In his dreams, he played with Skykit and Flamekit, enjoying is time as a father for the first time.


End file.
